Chapter 6

The days passed. The families settled into something of a routine.

The children always had something to do outside the pods. They need only say what they wanted to do, and the AI would direct them to the right location. When they could not decide, the AI would ask questions, make suggestions, offer alternatives. They could play a number of team sports. There was not enough room to play baseball, but versions of soccer, basketball and football were available. They even played rugby -- girls, too. For many such games, the balls were made heavier to counter the reduced gravity. Paintball was available. A shooting range was established, without need of actual projectiles. They could play ping pong or foosball. Dodge ball was a favorite and there were sometimes games going on in multiple locations. The AI made a point of locating activities to encourage children to interact and get to know their peers from throughout the ship.

The eldest dependents and the younger concubines from Edgar, most of whom had participated in the CAP enhancement program, took the lead in similar activities aboard the ship. Reduced gravity made it easier to do handstands and back flips. Small groups would perform demonstrations and direct interested individuals to the training areas.

Adults who were trained in martial arts got their heads together and concocted a regimen that blended parts of their various styles. The instructors had the children spend most of their time learning how to safely fall on the mats. Some judo and aikido techniques were thrown in to maintain the level of interest.

Wrestling, boxing and the use of pugil sticks were taught to and practiced by older children and young concubines. Here, far more than elsewhere, teammates needed to aid each other to instill courage in the face of imminent pain, to manage anger and fear, and to encourage persistence.

There were twenty-two members of the Waters/Minter family, counting the children. Only Nicole's Kyle and Tiffany's Tyler and Vickie were too young to use the sleep trainer. There was so much for everyone to learn. For a time, the schedules of the entire family revolved around their time in the sleep trainers. Bob and Ellen finally had to request that two additional trainers be installed. That took some of the pressure off.

The AI was remarkably good at designing fun activities in aid of the concepts learned in the sleep trainers. Something of a science museum was created, with wonderful and interesting interactive displays. A labyrinth was created. Sometimes doors would block progress. The door would open only after the problem displayed on the door's window was solved. Video games and table games both had math problems or reading comprehension activities. The games were fast-paced and fun.

Teams were organized. In the morning, a child's teammates might all be the same age. Later in the day, the child might be among the youngest on the next team. Still later, the child would be among the oldest on still a third team. Always, the focus was on becoming a sponsor, and doing everything possible to see that teammates became sponsors, too.

Not that being a concubine was deemed unworthy. The children were constantly reminded that their moms, their co-moms and all the naked people in the colony were doing all they could to ensure the children's success. Not every Marine would be on a fire team. Not every sailor would be a gunner. Everyone's job was essential. Everyone's success was crucial. Honor, respect and devotion were every bit as much a part of being a sponsor as strength, speed and bravado.

Always, the Sa'arm were in evidence: posters on the walls, elements of video games, miniatures with the toy soldiers. The children knew that they were not all going to be sponsors. They knew that the sponsors among them were not all going to be at the pointy end of the spear. They knew that the humans would be as relentless as the Sa'arm themselves and, however long it took, that the humans would win.

The adults, sponsor and concubine, invested themselves in the children's activities. The ratio of adults to children was now lopsided in favor of adults. They knew that that tide would turn, that one day all too soon the adults would be awash in a sea of children. Great effort was devoted to teaching the children how to work together, to learn from their elders and to teach the younger.

The adults were encouraged to spend time being involved in varying activities of the children, which necessarily put them onto different decks of the colony transport. Not only were they exposed to a variety of activities, but they were also able to meet and get to know a lot of different people who would share their lives in the new colony.

As with the children themselves, there was time for the adults to relax, to interact with each other, to socialize. John Davis opened a bakery on deck ten, partly for the love of baking, partly in aid of the children's education and partly to provide a place for people to mingle. Soon it was a favorite hangout and a place to meet.

Bob saw Sarah Edwards periodically. She made it a point to greet him. She asked him about the token only once. She almost always wore dresses that flattered her figure, with the hem as high as modesty would permit. It was apparent that she did not wear a bra. A couple of times, when he found her sitting, she let him know she wore no panties.

The Sperm Bank was a success. There never was a line of waiting customers, but a steady stream of men visited. The unassigned concubines, including the rejects that Bob had acquired early on, all had their wombs planted. Some of the women could not bring themselves to participate in the glory hole and had to entice a visitor to a bedroom -- if Mona was not around. They quickly learned that Mona would take any man she could lure into her clutches, and keep him going at her until he pleaded for mercy.

"I want to thank you," Ellen told them, "for your active roles and leadership." She took in the smiling faces of the family's six youngest concubines and four oldest children. "It's only been a few weeks since our departure. You have pitched right in and helped everyone get involved."

"It's fun doing stuff with other kids," giggled Travis. "I like helping littler kids, and the bigger kids help me do my best."

"I like to pretend I'm a teacher," Morgan laughed, "for the little kids."

"It isn't pretend," Sandy said with a soft smile. "You really are their teacher." Morgan glowed with pride at that statement.

When the youngsters had run off to their next activities, Ellen was left with Laura and Kathy in the living room. "It's hard to think about us raising children and more children, all to be cannon fodder," Laura said sadly. "Raise them up to be barely teenagers, then send them off to die in the war. Lather, rinse and repeat."

Ellen considered Laura's remark -- and Laura herself -- for a time. "That would probably be the way to think of it if we expected to lose, Laura. I have no doubt that we will win this war. Yes, it will be a long war. Yes, there will be casualties. In some events, the casualties will be large. I don't expect the total casualties to be horrific, such as the Russians suffered in World War Two. I think we will choose the time and place for our battles. Most of the time, that is.

"A lot of the people on Earth will die. That's because they're not trained to fight, they're not properly equipped and there is too much human politics. They will not be able to choose the time and place for their battles. Humans in the Diaspora are pretty much not going to suffer those impairments. Our children may not come back here to live out their days when their part in the war is done, but not many will die in battle, either."

<You asked to be informed of new sponsors, > the AI said through his link as he walked along a corridor.

<I did, > Bob confirmed sub-vocally. The AI explained that the CAP test of a young man would be finished shortly. The man's parents were waiting for him in their pod on deck 14. Bob decided to meet the young man in the med bay and escort him home. On the way to the med bay, the AI supplied details about the young man.

Bob stood when he saw the young man shuffle into the waiting area, obviously still recovering from the test. "Congratulations, Matt. I'm Bob Minter, the Civil Service officer. Here is your new CAP card." Matt examined the card bearing his score of 6.6 and cracked a big smile. "You look like you could use a beverage and I need to visit with you for a bit. Will you join me?" Matt smiled and nodded. Off they went.

Sodas in hand, Bob and Matt found an empty table and chairs in a quiet part of the common area. "You are the first new sponsor since our departure," Bob told him. "On Earth, you can put your CAP card in your wallet and go back to your normal life. That isn't the case anymore."

"I realize that," Matt smiled. "I want to volunteer. I want to be in the Navy."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. As you know, all of us are on our way to a breeder colony. Our job is to grow as many new sponsors as we can, as fast as we can. The downside is, every one of those new sponsors will be leaving us, going off to join the war effort in one capacity or another. It sounds like that is just what you want."

"It is," Matt confirmed. "Do you know how that's going to work?"

"I'm pretty sure you will not disembark when we reach Aphrodite. Instead, all of you who reach sponsor level on this journey will go back with the Capricorn Clipper." Matt nodded understanding and agreement. "In the meantime, there are some issues we need to attend to," Bob continued. "We need to figure out your housing. You have the right to choose two concubines..."

"Why only two?" asked Matt.

Bob smiled. "Each of the sponsors on this ship was authorized a supernumerary concubine because we are going to a breeder colony. Most sponsors going to military colonies get the regular allotment. Do you think you'll suffer with only two women at your beck and call?"

Matt chuckled and shook his head. "Two will be fine."

"The unassigned concubines are housed in the pod next door to my home on deck nine. Before we get to that, let's talk about housing. When you woke up this morning, you were a dependent. You had a sponsor. The AI informs me that his name is Jerry. You lived with your sponsor, your mother and all of the rest. Now, as a sponsor yourself, you are entitled to your own living unit. Regrettably, there are no empty living units for the time being. Do you have any thoughts on that?"

Matt blanched. "I'm pretty sure my sponsor -- my mom's sponsor, now -- won't be too happy about sharing his treasure with me. You said there are unassigned concubines for me to choose from. I don't know how he'll feel about me coming home with two concubines in tow either."

Bob nodded. "You can talk to him alone, or I will join you if you like. There are some options for you. Let's circle back around to concubines with your housing uncertainty and your deployment in mind."

"What do you mean?" asked Matt.

"The concubines who agree to your sponsorship will be going with you, leaving the rest of us behind on Aphrodite. Most of the unassigned concubines won't care -- one new place will be as good as any other. A few of them won't be very happy to leave their friends or family behind. There are mother-daughter pairs in the unassigned that might not want to be separated. Over a hundred of the sponsors aboard, including me, are all from the same little town. A few unassigned concubines are from our town. They may not be keen on the idea of leaving us."

"Oh," nodded Matt.

"So, bear in mind that you may not be completely welcome in Jerry's home. Bear in mind that this might be the first time that any of the unassigned concubines realize that their homes might not be on Aphrodite. You might need to spend quite a lot of time trying to select your two concubines. You may need to conduct a whole lot of test drives, if you get my meaning."

Matt beamed with understanding. "During Earth pickups, the selection time was very limited. Even on the moon, the selection time was stretched out but it wasn't all that elaborate. Finding out whether I like having sex with a concubine is one thing. I should probably find out if I like spending the whole night with the concubines before I choose, huh?"

"Now you're getting the picture. If it turns out that Jerry welcomes you and your harem into his home, fine. If he sends you the vibe that he's not completely comfortable, then you can hang out with the unassigned concubines in their pod."

"Good," smiled Matt.

"Now, another topic. There are thousands of youngsters aboard. Something like twenty-five of them reach age fourteen every month. Very few of those kids will achieve sponsor-level CAP scores the first time. We want as many as possible to become sponsors. While we were preparing to have our whole town extracted, we established a program that we thought would help the high school kids do better on their CAP scores. Nobody really knows if it worked, but the Confederacy wants us to keep doing that program in the colony. I would like you to make it your job during this transit to try to inspire the kids to work as hard as they can to improve their CAP scores."

"Could I still get my enhancements?"

"You have the right to your enhancements, and I won't stand in your way. However, you'll have the entire transit time back to wherever they take you to get the full complement of enhancements. I will tell you that the concubines you select will be anxious for enhancements for themselves -- they haven't had any yet. As for you, I think it might be best if you maintain your appearance more or less as it is. You definitely will get the implanted AI connection. You maybe should get the enhanced speed and strength. Are you a virgin?"

"Yes," Matt said, blushing.

"You can change the size of your male equipment, but don't forget that the unassigned concubines might not be able to handle you if you're too big. What you can get are what they call the 'male reproductive enhancements' that improve your sexual stamina and reduce the down time between erections -- although, at fourteen, that might not be a problem for you anyway."

Matt laughed. "I'll be careful. I'm sure they'll try to teach me to be a good lover. It wouldn't be fair to them to decide whether or not to go with me and then change the rules on them."

"I think that's wise. Ask the AI to give you whatever is normal these days for male sponsors. That way, you'll be likely to make the concubines happy. But let's go back to the kids. I think you would be a more effective role model if you still look fourteen. If you reflect your pride in your achievement of a good CAP score while being modest and supportive, you literally running circles around them should inspire them to work harder themselves."

"I can do that," smiled Matt, "but won't I be the only fourteen-year-old in the group?"

"No," answered Bob, "there are a few fourteen-year-old guys that didn't get a high enough CAP score. They're still trying to improve their scores. There are a lot of fourteen- and fifteen-year-old concubines who are in the program, especially those from my home town. They will re-take the CAP test in the future."

"I understand. I'll do my best to be a good teacher and role model."

"Okay, then," said Bob, "do you want me to come with you to talk to Jerry?"

"No, I think I can handle it by myself."

"Don't forget to let your mom know you that will be saying goodbye to her when we reach Aphrodite. She may want to spend time with you before you are parted."

"I will."

"AI," Bob asked the ceiling, "will there be time today to get Matt into a med tube after he meets with Jerry?"

"Affirmative," came the reply.

"Please spend as much time as you can working with the kids. I know the unassigned concubines will give you all the incentives they have to keep you in bed with them. Talk to the AI about where and when you would be most useful as a motivation to the kids. Have fun, and choose your concubines wisely. I recommend you select at least one experienced mother. You can make her look young, but the experience will be very useful to you."

"Thanks," said Matt. They shook hands and went their own way.

(Author's warning: the remainder of this chapter contains violence that the author believes is necessary for the story plot.)

Finding her alone in the master bedroom, Nicole approached Ellen and enveloped her in an embrace. "You know how much I owe you for taking me into your family," Nicole said softly over Ellen's shoulder. Sensing that Nicole had something to say, Ellen silently nodded. "Me an' Tiffany ... and our babies ... we ain't never had it so good." The embrace, and the silence, stretched on for a time.

"You don't never stop bein' a 'biker babe, '" Nicole continued. "It's kinda like being a marine: 'once a marine, always a marine.' So I know stuff and I do stuff that you'd never know about. Bob's got a problem next door in them unassigned concubines, and it ain't gettin' any better. I felt I had to tell you beforehand that I'm gonna solve the problem. I talked to the AI about it. It ain't got a problem if you say it's alright. I did not talk to Bob. He'll be better off not knowing. I want to take Tiff and Julie with me. I want the rest of us concubines to keep the little ones from next door for a while. I'd like you to tell the AI to cooperate with me while I'm solving the problem."

While still embraced, Ellen pulled her face far enough away that she could see Nicole's face, a study in love, respect and determination. The moment stretched out. Just as Ellen was forming her first question, a smiling Nicole slowly shook her head. Ellen decided that Nicole deserved her faith and trust. "AI, please support Nicole in this little endeavor she has planned. Go along with whatever she has in mind. I don't want to know what she plans, and I don't think I'll want to know what she's done. I take responsibility for all of Nicole's actions."

"Acknowledged," intoned the AI.

"Thank you," Nicole beamed. Still enfolded in Ellen's embrace, she looked skyward and told the AI, "Please announce a meeting next door in, what, ten minutes. All the adults have to be present. I don't want the children to see or hear what goes on. AI, can you think of a way -- and a place -- to have the children supervised?"

"No sound will reach the upper level of the pod," the AI responded. "The lift can be disabled for the length of the meeting. One or more of your sister-concubines will be sufficient for supervision. The AI will ensure that the children are entertained."

"Okay," said Nicole. "Please ask... " she looked a question at Ellen, "Mickey... " and Ellen nodded, "to get ready to join us." She drew Ellen tightly into the embrace again. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you for your support. Thank you for your trust."

Mickey had greeted the women and excused herself to the upper level of the pod. The unassigned concubines had all settled themselves around the living room. Tiffany and Julie found places to lean with some comfort against the walls on opposite sides of the room. Nicole made her way around the room, greeting the women by name a few at a time. When she was done with her greetings, she strolled about casually, slowly, waiting for the women's attention to come to her. At last, she began to speak.

"Y'all ain't from Edgar, Washington, so you don't know Bob Minter very well at all. Bob's a good guy. He just about single-handedly started organizing the pickup that took pretty much our whole town, all at once. Most all the folks from Edgar think he's a hero, if not a saint. But, you know, they say 'no good deed goes unpunished.' You'd think Bob oughta get a cushy job on account of him bein' a hero and all. No, they didn't do that. They didn't even give Bob an average job, doing something he knows something about. Nope. They made Bob the Civil Service officer for the whole planet.

"Now, Bob Minter lived his whole life in itty-bitty Edgar, Washington. He married his high school sweetheart, Kathy. They're still crazy in love. Bob and Kathy have got big hearts. Bob weren't even a sponsor when he started his plan to get us extracted. He done all that work, he woulda kept on doin' all that work, he woulda said goodbye to his whole family. That's how much Bob loved his wife and kids. Ellen got him and Kathy to join her in a pre-pack. Bob didn't find out for quite a while that he could be a sponsor too.

"When Bob got his CAP score increased, he honored his commitment to Ellen and stayed with her. They made a joint household and just took in more concubines. Ellen told them she wanted to take in all the damaged goods she could find. Bob and Kathy just nodded 'yes.' They had no idea what they was lettin' themselves in for. They're troopers, though. They just pitch in and do what needs doing to make us into a family.

"Bob don't know what to do about women 'cept say 'yes' and try to give 'em what they say they need. That was always okay, 'cause Bob didn't hardly run into bitches. He damn sure didn't run into any whores in Edgar, Washington. So some of you whores got an unfair advantage over poor Bob. All he wants to do is make life easier for you and help you get by as comfortably as you can." Some of the women bristled and muttered complaints. Nicole did not miss a beat.

"I hope you've figured out by now that the purpose of this meeting is for me to get you to help Bob. He's your de facto sponsor until you find one permanent. He can't do his job if y'all make him act like he's trying to herd cats. What I need to tell you is gonna seem like a shaggy dog story. I'm sorry for that, but I don't know any other way to do it. My story has a point, but it's a long story and it's gonna take a while to get it told. I will tell you now to stay in your seats unless I say otherwise. Understand?" She waited until she had collected a nod from every one of them.

Nicole used the entire area as a stage, gliding slowly but smoothly from place to place as she spoke. Sometimes she would look across and take in a large group of women. Sometimes she would stand close, seeming to talk directly to the one or two women right in front of her. Her manner and her voice put the women at ease while holding their undivided attention.

"I guess I ought to tell you a little bit about me. I'm a biker babe. I don't ride motorcycles no more, but you don't never stop bein' a biker babe. One day in the town I grew up in, there was a carnival. Me and my sister was over there with our friends. Pretty soon, a bunch of bikers come rollin' into town. It was pretty loud, but Harleys are always loud. They wasn't tearing up the road, they just rolled up like they owned the place. Anyways, they parked their bikes and went in on the carnival grounds. After they went in, we got back to having our own fun. I wanted to follow the bikers but my sister wouldn't let us. She made sure we didn't go the same way they did.

"And we did have a lot of fun. We rode rides. We ate junk food. We played those stupid rigged games, trying to win a teddy bear. It was quite a while later we happened back to the place the bikes was parked. I was over there right up close, looking at one of them bikes. All of the sudden, the owner of the bike was standing right behind me. He startled me. He was huge! He didn't say nothin' to me. He just looked the clothes right off my body. My gawd, I felt a flood in my panties! Boys had looked at my body before, but nothin' like what he done to me, just with his eyes.

"I asked him could I have a ride on his bike. I swear I don't know where that came from! It just popped outa my mouth, I swear! He asked me how old I was. I told him I was ... I told him how old I was. I wasn't very old. He told me I wasn't old enough. So I strutted right up to him, and told him I was too old enough. He must have been a foot and a half taller than me, mighta weighed three times what I did. He musta liked my spunk. He just smiled and swept his hand towards his bike, inviting me for a ride. I didn't know what to do. He climbed on and patted the seat in front of him. I thought he was gonna have me sit behind him, but he wanted me in front. He started the bike and, when all his friends was ready, we took off. I waved bye-bye to my sister. You should have seen the look on her face!

"After we passed the last traffic light in town, he let go of the handle with one hand and brought it around my middle. His great big open hand covered most of my tummy. He musta felt the shudder that ran through my body.

"Another bike came up beside us. There was a girl in front of the biker, just like us, 'cept she was turned facing him, while I was facing forward. Then I saw she didn't have no pants or panties on! Then she lifted up and I saw she had his cock in her hand. Then she looked me right in the eyes while she jammed herself on his cock. She screamed and she musta had an orgasm right then and there.

"Then I realized I was pushing his fingers into my burnin' pussy. By then, there was a huge wet spot in my shorts. I know he must have felt it. All I could do was keep pressing his fingers into my aching pussy.

"The rest of the ride was a blur. When we came to a stop, we were in a park, at the edge of a big campsite. The guy parked his bike and scooped me up like I didn't weigh nothin'. He sat on a picnic bench with me on his lap. At the end of the table, a girl had her head resting on her arms. She was looking at me all dreamy-eyed while a guy fucked her from behind. Next to the table, a girl sat in a lawn chair and sucked two cocks at the same time. Behind her, a guy sat on a picnic bench, getting a blowjob from a girl while she got fucked from behind. All of this right out in the open! They all acted like that was the most ordinary thing to do!

"Pretty soon, he picked me up again and set me down on the other end of the picnic table. He didn't even kiss me. He didn't even go for my tiny tits. He didn't spend much time on the outside of my shorts, either, before he had the zipper down and his fingers in my snatch.

"'You're not old enough, ' he said to me. I told him I was. 'You're not big enough, ' he told me. I said I was. He stood up and just looked at me. I didn't know what he wanted me to do. 'I'll take you back, ' he said. I still didn't know what to do, but I came out of my shorts and panties in a heartbeat. He told me to open his pants, and I did. He didn't say nothin', but he kept watching me. Finally, I figured it out and pulled his pants down enough to loose his dick.

"My gawd! It was as long and as big around as my forearm! He told me again I wasn't big enough. I guess he knew I was stubborn and contrary. Twenty seconds after the first time I saw a man's cock, I was runnin' it up and down my slit, trying to get it lubricated.

"He was right. I was too young. I was too small. The PAIN was unbelievable! He buried himself balls-deep on the first push. I wouldn't cry out, even if I had been able to draw a breath. He was nice enough to hold still for the seemingly long time it took my pussy to stretch out to accommodate him. When he finally started pushing, I was in a fog. I don't remember the rest of my first fuck. Except I do remember that he had a clean handkerchief. He used it to wipe up my slit, and he wiped his cock with it. You could see the blood on it. He folded up the handkerchief and put it in his pocket. He guided my face down close to his dick. I looked at it for a while. I realized he wanted me to lick it clean, so I did. When he decided I'd done a good enough job, he stepped back, fixed his pants and walked away. We hadn't ever kissed. His sperm was swimming in my womb and I didn't even know his name.

"He came back in a couple of minutes, carrying two cans of beer. He handed one to me and sat down on the bench beside where I sat on the end of the picnic table. He opened his and drained about half of it in a single pull. In my whole life 'fore then, I might have had a total of a mouthful of beer. It was so bitter. I decided I was gonna drink that beer, and I did. I got a pretty good buzz going, too.

"There was a party atmosphere, loud music and everyone having fun. Somebody handed me a plate of food and I ate. A black-haired girl gave me some pills. I asked her what they were. She told me they were Advil. She said it wouldn't hurt so much when he fucked me again. I told her I wasn't planning on getting fucked again. She told me to take them anyway. I did. I don't think they were Advil. After while, I got really happy and energized. Some girls were dancing around the campfire and I joined them. I danced my ass off, laughing and whooping it up.

"I got tired and came over to sit down. He guided me onto his lap. He kept his hands on me, but not on my tits or my pussy. It was just gentle like ... affectionate. He nuzzled around my neck and my ear. It felt really good. I started gettin' horny again. Before I knew, I was on my knees in front of him. He had his dick out, and he guided my face to it. When I didn't open my mouth, he rubbed the tip along my lips. I opened my mouth a little and he gently pulled my face onto it. His eyes were locked onto mine. He used his hands to pull and push my face on his dick, letting me know what he wanted. He let go of my head and I kept going. I kept going and going and he kept our eyes locked together. He didn't say nothing, but he started breathing hard. I felt the head swell in my mouth but the shots of cum surprised me. He held my head so I couldn't back away. When he was done, he held my eyes and he nodded slightly. I swallowed. He smiled. He used his finger to scoop up the cum that escaped out of my lips and he fed it back into my mouth. He pulled me back to him and I cleaned him up. He petted my head like I was a dog. I felt really proud of myself.